Research on how Edward Snowden's explosive leaks were shared on social media has found using Twitter and Facebook may actually encourage self-censorship.

The Pew Research poll finds that contrary to the hype, people may
share less on social media when it comes to hot topics.

There is a “tendency of people not to speak up about policy
issues in public—or among their family, friends, and work
colleagues—when they believe their own point of view is not
widely shared. This tendency is called the ‘spiral of
silence’,”says the recent study.

The survey of 1,801 US adults was conducted by the Pew Research
Center, a US think tank that provides information on social
issues and public opinion. It was fielded August 7-September 16,
2013, by Princeton Research Associates International.

The study focused on one important public issue: Edward Snowden’s
2013 revelations of widespread government surveillance of phone
and email records of US citizens.

The research says that people “were less willing to discuss
the Snowden-NSA story in social media than they were in
person.”

“Eighty-six percent of Americans were willing to have an
in-person conversation about the surveillance program, but just
42 percent of Facebook and Twitter users were willing to post
about it on those platforms.”

Of the remaining 14 percent of Americans who didn’t want to
discuss Snowden in person, only “0.3 percent were willing to
post about it on social media.”

"People do not tend to be using social media for this type of
important political discussion. And if anything, it may actually
be removing conversation from the public sphere," Keith
Hampton, a communications professor at Rutgers University in New
Jersey who also helped to conduct the study, told AP.

It was also revealed that people are more willing to share their
views “if they thought their audience agreed with them.”

“For instance, at work, those who felt their co-workers
agreed with their opinion were about three times more likely to
say they would join a workplace conversation about the
Snowden-NSA situation.”

The paper found that when social media users felt their opinions
were not supported online, “they were less likely to say they
would speak their minds.”

“The typical Facebook user — someone who logs onto the site a
few times per day — is half as likely to be willing to have a
discussion about the Snowden-NSA issues at a physical public
meeting as a non-Facebook user,” the study found.

The researchers from the Pew Research studies concluded that it
is common for Facebook and Twitter users “to be mistaken
about their friends’ beliefs.”

“It might be the case that people do not want to disclose
their minority views for fear of disappointing their friends,
getting into fruitless arguments, or losing them entirely.”

The survey says that some internet users may prefer not to show
their opinions in social networks “because their posts
persist and can be found later — perhaps by prospective employers
or others with high status.”

“We speculate that social media users may have witnessed
those with minority opinions experiencing ostracism, ridicule or
bullying online, and that this might increase the perceived risk
of opinion sharing in other settings,” write the authors of
the research.

According to Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center
Internet Project, that social media websites may sensitize people
to different opinions, reported AP.

"Because they use social media, they may know more about the
depth of disagreement over the issue in their wide circle of
contacts," he said. "This might make them hesitant to
speak up either online or offline for fear of starting an
argument, offending or even losing a friend."

Hampton added that the results of the survey show a major concern
for today’s society.

“A society where people aren't able to share their opinions
openly and gain from understanding alternative perspectives is a
polarized society,” he said.